CRPF jawan in Jharkhand shoots senior colleague, then kills himself

Ranchi: A CRPF jawan on Wednesday allegedly shot his senior colleague and then pulled the trigger killing himself at a force camp in Jharkhand's Latehar district.

Representational image. Reuters

The jawan who pulled the trigger, constable Mahipal, soon after succumbed to his bullet injuries while the senior colleague whom he shot is "criticial" in a hospital in Ranchi after he was airlifted.

Officials said the incident occured at about 12.30 pm at a company location of the Central Reserve Police Force in Latehar's Kone area when Mahipal and Head Constable Sanjay picked up a fight.

Soon after, they said, Mahipal allegedly shot Sanjay using an INSAS rifle kept in the camp and later shot himself too from the same weapon.

While Mahipal worked as a barber in the unit, Sanjay was posted as a driver.

"It looks to be a case of fratricide. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered and senior force officers in Latehar have reached the spot along with state police for further investigation and ascertaining the reasons for the fight between the two men," the official said.

They said both of them belonged to the 214th battalion of the CRPF deployed in the area for anti-Naxal operations and other security duties.